Apparatus for attaching flexible covers

ABSTRACT

AN APPARATUS IS DISCLOSED COMPRISING A MANDREL ABOUT WHICH A FLEXIBLE COVER MAY BE ROLLED IN SUCCESSIVE LAYERS. THE COVER IS EQUIPPED ALONG THE EDGES THEREOF WITH A CONTINUOUS FASTENING MEANS SUCH AS ONE PART OF A HOOK AND LOOP TYPE FASTENER STRIP, THE OTHER MATING PORTION BEING AFFIXED TO THE EDGE OF AN OPENING OR, MORE GENERALLY, TO A WALL SURFACE SUCH THAT WHEN THE COVER IS ATTACHED BY MEANS OF THE FASTENER STRIPS AT ONE END, THE MANDREL MAY BE ROTATED TO UNROLL THE COVER INTO FASTENING ENGAGEMENT ABOUT THE OPENING OR TO THE WALL SURFACE.

June 8, 1971 A. KoLozsvARY APPARATUS FOR ATTACHING FLEXIBLE COVERS Filed June 9, 1969 FIG BY 512,05/ 4 01K 717 #i MJCZ ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 3,583,057 APPARATUS FOR A'ITACHING FLEXIBLE COVERS Arpad Kolozsvary, Mountain Lake, NJ., assignor to American Velcro, Inc. Filed June 9, 1969, Ser. No. 831,473 v Int. CL B25b 27/14 U.S. Cl. 29-270 6 Claims ABSTRACT F 'IHE DISCLOSURE FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a means for attaching iexible materials having width and length to flat surfaces such as a wall or to an opening in a wall to form a closure.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Hook and loopt fasteners of the type shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,009,235 have been accorded many uses, since such fasteners lend themselves readily to separable fas tenng engagement between folds of fabric, as substitutes for the conventional zipper. The hook and loop fastener normally is manufactured as a strip or tape, one portion of which has a pile comprising a multiplicity of upstanding loops and the other, a series of `upstanding randomly oriented hooks. When the mating portions of the fastener tape are pressed together, a great many of the hooks engage the loops of pile. The tape will resist disengagement by pulling forces perpendicular to its surface and has great resistance to shifting laterally in shear. Conventional disengagement of the tape parts is accomplished by a peeling force applied from one end which in effect applies such force directly to a very small number of hook and loop engagements.

It is the purpose of the present invention to provide a means for applying exible covers or other flexible materials generally to flat surfaces, either planar or curved using hook and loop type fastener means.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention comprises a mandrel having at least partially distributed upon the surface thereof a fastener means such as in a specific embodiment, one type of hook and loop fastener elements, i.e., a plurality of outwardly protruding hooks or loops. The mandrel, of generally cylindrical form', will have successive layers rolled upon it of a flexible material, such as a fabric cover. The surface of the material facing the mandrel has peripheral edges thereof attached to one portion of a hook and loop fastener tape and the reverse side of the cover will be similarly equipped with the mating type of hook and loop fastener tape. Thus, the mandrel at the inception of the fabric material being wound about its surface will engage as by the first mentioned hook and loop fastener means with the facing side of the material. Successive Winds of the material about the mandrel will bring into interengagement the mating portions of fastener tape upon the opposites of the fabric.

The outer surface of the fabric can be brought into 3,583,057 Patented June 8, 1971 lCC engagement with edge portions of an opening, for example, or a wall surface which have also been equipped with fastener tape having a corresponding mating engagement with the tape on the fabric material. The mandrel may be connected to a handle or other means by which it can be rotated conveniently.

Thus, the above-described structure may be used to apply fabric materials, such as covers or closures, to openings or to apply flexible fiat material to a wall surface. In applying such exible material, the trailing edge of the fabric which has, as mentioned, been equipped with a strip of fastener tape, will be pressed into engagement with the corresponding mating strip adjacent to the opening or upon the wall surface. Thereafter, the mandrel will be rotated to unroll the remainder of the flexible material with the corresponding mating strips of fastener tape being brought into engagement. To remove the exible cover or other material, the hook or loop fastening material projecting from the surface of the mandrel will first be brought into engagement with the corresponding mating fastener elements upon the reverse side of the cover or material. Rotation of the mandrel will cause the fastener tape securing the edges of the fabric or cover to the fiat surface to peel and to cause the fabric to be wound upon the mandrel.

It should be clear that various kinds of fastener means such as adhesive strips may be used with the apparatus of the present invention. Furthermore, the use of the terms hook and loop type fasteners or hooks and loops are meant to include fasteners wherein a multiplicity of projections of one part of the fastener interengage with a multiplicity of twisted or randomly oriented fibers.

Various aspects of the present invention will be made clear in the course of the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment or embodiments, and with respect to the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING ing the operation of the apparatus shown in FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is a detail showing an arrangement of a exible fabric and hook and loop fastener strips when wound upon a mandrel;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the lines of 4-4 in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 is a detail showing the application of flexible material to a flat wall surface.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING With reference to the drawing and specifically to FIGS. l and 2 thereof, a cylindrical mandrel 10` is covered with a base material 11 having a multiplicity of outwardly protruding hooks. The mandrel is equipped with axial pins 12a and 12b which are engaged by slotted arms 13a, 13b. The arms 13a, 13b are attached to handle 14. LA flexible cover 16 has upon the side facing the mandrel a fastener tape 17 secured to edge portions thereof. The tape 17 has a multiplicity of small loops, thus providing a mating engagement with the hook material 11. The opposite side of the cover 16 is equipped along edge portions thereof with fastener tape 18, having a multiplicity of hook members. A fabric wall 19 defines an opening or window 20 and about the periphery of the opening 20 is aixed fastener tape 21 of the loop type, thereby providing a mating interengagement with the hook tape 18 of the fabric cover 16. The lamination of the respective layers of cover 16, Wall 19 and several tape fastener strips is shown in FIG. 4.

It will be seen that the `mandrel 10, arms 13a and 13b and handle 14 cooperate to form an applicator for flexible material which may be wound upon the mandrel for 'storage' and thereafter applied AYto"ilatmsrfacesThe mandrel 10 is shown with successive layers of material fully wound upon the mandrel in FIG. 3 and as shown may be stored as a unit for subsequent use. Accordingly, when vit is desired to place a flexible' cover, for example, in place over a tent opening as illustratedinjFIG. 1, the lower edge of the4 cover 16 with fastener tape 18 secured thereto will be first pressed into engagement with the corresponding mating tape 21. Thereafter, the mandrel 10 will be rolled upwardlyfto unwind the fabric with respective edge portions of the fabric and tent becoming engaged as the mating fastener tape on each is brought into engagement. When the c over 16 is to be removed from a tent opening, the hook material v1 1 on the mandrell will Ifirst be engaged with an edge, either upper or lower of the cover '16 by bringing into vengagement the hook material 11 and the corresponding mating tape 17 on the back of the cover 16. As shown in FIG. 2, rotation of the. mandrel in the indicated clockwise ydirection will cause a peeling of the mating tape 18v and f21 andv will effect Winding of the cover 16Mupon lthe mandrel. It should be noted that the hook tape member 18 be brought into winding engagementy with the loop member 17 on the reverse side of the fabric cover 16 which causes each successive layer of cover 16 to be held securely in the rolled position.

FIG. discloses the use of the apparatus of the present invention for applying rolls of exible material, such as insulation, to interior wall portions of a tent. Accordingly, the tent is provided with loop fastener strips 22, 22a, 221;, etc. which are twice the width of fastener strips 23 of the hook type provided along one edge and face of insulation layer 24. Thus, several insulating layers may be applied in side-by-side relation to the interior of a tent structure or the like by means of the applicator of the present invention.

It will be understood that wall, ceiling, or floor covering Y I claimt,

m1, An apparatus for applyingaridi'eiiiovifiglslfeets df flexible material to a flat suriface comprising in combination, a mandrel, upon which said material may be wound in successive layers, quick `disconnect fastening means on said mandrel, ;an'd cooperativefasteningmeansalong at least one edge portion of said material facingV said mandrel,v a stripy of fastening material alongvedgeportions of at least one of said flat surface and. -said exible material and means for Vrolling and unrolling the mandrel against said at surface. i 2.` The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the mandrel has oppositely projecting axial pins, a frame having two arms pivotally engaging saidpins, anda. handleconnected to said frame. l 3..'I'he`v apparatus according to.claim 1 wherein the fastening'- means in each'instance comprises mating hook ya, and loop fastening means on 'oppositely facing edge por- `tio'ns."

surface comprises edge-portions of a wall opening and said sheet material comprises a closure for said opening. 6. The apparatus accordingto claim 4 in which the side of said material facing said mandrel has continuous strips about edge portions thereof of a loop type fastener material, the mandrel is covered witha hook type fastener or trim of various kinds may be readily applied using the apparatus of the present invention, in addition to the closures or covers and insulation layers which have been illustrated above. Furthermore, as mentioned, fastening means generally may be used, including adhesive strips,

vention, reference should be made to the appended claims.

material, the sideof said .material ,opposite said mandrel has affixed to edge ,portions thereof Astrips of hook type fastener material and the flat surface has affixed loop fastener'material in widthwise andl'engthwise correspond- 4ence to thefastener strips onsaid material. t

. References Cited i- Y v, y lUisuriaps TiiTEs PATENTs' y y 3,431,605 3/1969 Hasslinger2 24`201C 3,475,810 11/1'969 Mates 29270 FOREIGN'PATENTS '1,273,849` 9/1961y France.

,R. SCHRANfPrimary Examiner l Y i U.s.C1.`x.R. V 24--204;29-427 

